Houston VA Wants Combat Veterans for PTSD Study
Doctors at the Houston VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine are studying a new medical technique for treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and they need veterans who've served in combat for their study.
PTSD is the modern name of the "war wound" once known as "shell shock". It's the least understood of all wounds. Many combat veterans come home with it, and they - and their families - have problems with it for the rest of their lives. Those people may be encouraged to know that doctors may be close to developing a treatment for PTSD.
Researchers have discovered that the terrifying things combat soldiers see and do cause changes in the brain. This discovery has led the Houston VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine to set up a study that uses Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) to learn how combat experiences affect the brain.
The hope is to find better ways to treat victims of PTSD, and to do that, they need PTSD victims to study. Participating veterans will be paid for their time, and the entire process takes about three months.
The study is open to veterans age 18 to 65 who fought in wars from Vietnam to Afghanistan, and who've been diagnosed with PTSD.
For more information about the study and how to enroll, call the Houston VA at 713-794-7629.
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